“You sure this is the fastest way?” Mirko asks for at least the tenth time in the past two weeks. “I be sure,” Dreys responds, as always, plodding along, heading south along the Long Road.
The pair left Triboar near the middle of April once the weather broke from a series of severe late winter storms. Borth, Mirko’s brother, had seen them off and wished them well, and Amra (and her white tiger companion, Samson) had traveled with them for almost a week before heading east on some errand she wished to run.
It had been hard leaving Triboar – hard getting out on the road again, knowing what lay ahead of them. Or rather, knowing the uncertainty of the future that lay ahead of them. Surely it was to be dangerous and life-threatening, but since when did that ever stop Mirko and Dreys?
Mirko, the Blue Bear, is on a mission to free his adopted cousins, the Quaggoth or Deep Bears, from slavery. He knows the Dark Elves won’t let their thralls go so easily nor without a fight. A bloody, hellacious fight.
Dreys wields the Burning Blade, and is said to be Jundar Swordbreaker reborn, the one who will gather the dwarves and lead them to war. But he really doesn’t know how to start…except his dreams (or are they visions?) keep telling him to go south, to seek out the remnants of his people on the surface before delving deep underground and calling the northern nations to war.
So…they are headed to Thornhold – the dwarven fortress along the Sword Coast – it was only a year or so that they were there…with Bra’kan, and Almego, and many other companions…all dead now but them.
The Long Road has been quite busy the last couple of days – they have passed merchants from Waterdeep, soldiers heading to Neverwinter to serve, farmers with goods, and prophets preaching doom on those who ignore “the signs” of war and tragedy to come.

But it is midday and they are on the outskirts of Kryptgarden Forest, barely two days from Westbridge…and hot baths, soft beds, and good food. It rained in the morning, but the sun reappeared and the breeze had began to dry things up, and Mirko was thinking of what cooked dwarf would taste like, when he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Dreys stopped too and watched his friend for several moments. Mirko sniffed the air, inhaling deeply, getting the scent of something on the wind, something strong and pungent.
And then a scream for help!

“This way!” Mirko hisses, tearing off the road and heading toward the outlying trees of the forest. Dreys follows, huffing with effort, and the pair soon find themselves among the trees. The air is cooler and the trees have just about filled out with foliage. Up ahead, shouts and grunts can be heard, so the pair move ahead quickly and quietly until they see…

Six hulking giants have three figures trapped near a low cliff rising from the forest floor. A quick overview reveals signs of midday picnic, now spoiled by uninvited guests…who likely seek to have their own “picnic” with these humans.

About 150 feet away on the other side of the encounter…
Angus has been following this band of giants for two days. He wants to know why they are in his “neck of the woods” and hopes to “persuade” them to leave before they spoil it any further. But now…they have cornered some humans and from what he knows of hill giants, they will torture, kill, and eat the unfortunate people at their leisure…which will only serve to make them want to stay longer in this area.

Mirko advances slowly at first, his heart beating faster as he hears the sounds of battle. His predator instincts awaken as adrenaline rushes into his temples in anticipation of a fight. He draws his flaming sword as he advances faster and faster on his prey (G1). And grabbing the sword in both hands, he jumps to plunge and slash his sword on the flesh of the giant.
The flaming sword slices through the giant’s back and down his left leg, leaving a gaping bloody wound. (D25)
The giant roars in pain and surprise, allowing Mirko to strike again, carving out a chunk of the giant’s thigh! (D24) Bellowing in agony, G1 retaliates with a crushing blow from its club (D23), followed quickly by a backhand swipe that leaves Mirko bloody and battered (D16).

Dreys sees what they need to do, calls on the power of the blade to give him strength (strength of stone) and follows Mirko into battle. The Burning Blade begins to hum. Dreys can feel it's power surge through his bones. He can also hear a little chant in his mind > Jundar...Jundar...Jundar.... Dreys trembles for a moment then the power surges through his body as he charges G2. His skin turns to a deep gray color as he roars with power and anger as he swings at the giant. The heavy mace crushes the giant’s knee, causing the beast to howl in pain. (D8) Dreys quickly swings again, but the giant steps over him and he misses.
G2 roars something in his giant language that sounds like boulders grinding together, then brings his spiked club down at Dreys, smashing him in the chest (D21). The blow lifts Dreys off his feet and he lands hard on his back. Looking up he can see the giant bringing the club down on top of him, and he quickly rolls to the side, the club missing his head by inches!

Angus sees the two figures charging the giants as he begins casting a spell > seven seconds later, a bolt of lightning comes down from the heavens upon the head of G3! (D18)

Still not sure who these two are yet, Angus thinks it is best if he stays hidden for the moment and drops another lightning bolt on the head of the same giant. (D14) The giant staggers a bit and looks around to try and find the source of its pain, roaring in fury.

The pain fuels Mirko’s anger and the fire from his flaming sword explodes on the giant’s flesh as he hacks and slashes, disemboweling the giant with his first attack, (D21) and driving the blade through the giant’s back when it falls! (D24)
As the giant dies, its companions howl in rage and two lumber toward the barbarian, intent on death!
“Bring it on Dogs!” Mirko yells, fearless in battle.

As the giants move in on Mirko, Dreys gets to his feet and summons help. From his hand, a cone-shaped blast of rocks and gravel bursts outward, striking G2 in the face and chest! (Abrasive Blast = D16)
Blinded, the giant stomps and swings wildly at Dreys’ last position, but neither attack hits the Dwarf.

G3 roars and swings at Mirko, smashing the barbarian in the chest with its first swing (D15) and then slamming him in the back on the backswing! (D13)
G4 rumbles with laughter as it lifts its foot and stomps Mirko into the forest ground! (D12) The giant then kicks Mirko, sending the barbarian flying up the hillside to land in a tangle of briar and vines! (D10)

While Mirko spits blood and attempts to regain his senses…the other two giants move in on the three folks trapped against the cliff face. G5 hurls a boulder and crushes one of the folks against the cliff face. A woman screams again as G6 moves in to finish off the other two. But…the giant gets a surprise as a ball of fire erupts on its head and chest! (D24)
The giant bellows in agony, falling to the ground, rolling and thrashing to put out the flames.

Angus looks around at the battle field and decides it is better to stay out of the way and drops another bolt on G3. (D16)
The giant staggers and screams in pain and fury, intent on smashing Mirko to a pulp, erroneously thinking the barbarian is the source of the lightning. But Mirko isn’t about to lie around and let that happen. He spits blood among the tangle of briars and weeds, wipes the gore from his chest and with a red smile growls, “There you go. Now we can start to fight.”
And with a thundering roar, Mirko renews his attack – “RRRUUUAAGHHH!!!”

G3 drops its club and covers its ears with meaty hands. G4 shakes its shaggy head and moves in to attack. Feeling a lot better (H18), Mirko tears free of the vines and briars and takes advantage of the shaken giant, cutting nearly completely through the thigh of G3! (D30)
G3’s scream shakes the leaves from the trees as it falls, howling and writhing on the ground in agony.
G4 attempts to stomp Mirko, but the barbarian dives out of the way. Unfortunately, the move put Mirko in reach of the giant’s huge fist and it smashes him in the back, driving him to the ground again. (D11)

A few feet away, Dreys smiles about the dust in the giants eyes and says, "Me gonna get me some giant flesh now." And with that, Dreys begins to hack and slash G2. The first blow smashes the giant’s shin (D15), and his second blow crunks the giant in the knee! (D12)
Still barely able to see, the giant retaliates, flailing wildly with its club, neither attack getting close to Dreys.

Near the cliff, G5 manages to smother the flames and gets to its feet, as G6 charges in swinging its club at the spellcaster, missing by several feet, gouging large chunks of stone from the cliff face. But then it rights itself and kicks the spellcaster in the gut, flinging the unlucky person against the cliff. (D15)
Staggering, the figure leans on a staff and rises…and suddenly a freezing cone of ice bursts from the person’s arm and strikes G6 square in the face and chest! (D46)
The giant bellows and staggers backward, even as the third person near the cliff rushes forward and drives a sword into the temple of G3, killing the already mortally wounded giant.

“Hmmm, no reason to show myself when I can keep dropping bolts,” Angus decides and points at G6 and calls down another bolt of lightning! (D18)

Mirko's eyes narrow as he closes in on the giant. “That’s right, no one left to bury you.” Then he steps in, whirls, and delivers a devastating slash to the giant’s stomach, opening the hulking creature’s gut to the backbone, spilling entrails all over the forest floor! (D63 – Holy Shit!)
The giant gags and falls to its knees – with one hand it tries to scoop its guts back inside its belly and with the other it reaches for Mirko. But the barbarian isn’t done. He quickly steps close, even as the stench of the giant makes his eyes water, and drives his sword through the giant’s throat and out the back of its thick neck! (D29)

The young man standing nearby gawks at the ferocity of the barbarian’s attack. Mirko grins and says, “That’s how you take down a giant, boy. Let’s go get another.”

With G2 falling, Dreys takes his chance and summons the mighty power of Dumathoin....after a few seconds a huge spike grows from the end of the Burning Blade. Dreys jumps drives the glowing spike into the giant’s groin! (D19) He twists and turns the spiked blade and the giant screams in agony, falling to its knees. With a battle cry, Dreys then drives the glowing spike under the giant’s chin…and the giant opens its mouth to scream again but nothing comes out but blood and smoke. The giant shudders and slumps over, unmoving. (D22)
“Who be next?” Dreys bellows, looking around for more giants.

Seeing their companions die, the other two giants break and run. G5 had already been inching away, so he outdistances G6 by several feet, crashing through brush and vines, heedless of his path. G6, however, only gets a few feet before another blast of icy cold slams it in the back, putting it down for good. (D32)
Once the giant falls, the spellcaster turns to her wounded companion.
“Help me, someone! He’s dying!” she cries.

Once the giant falls, the spellcaster turns to her wounded companion.
“Help me, someone! He’s dying!” she cries.

Mirko's eyes narrow, seeing the giant escape. Fighting the urge to chase the prey, he sheathes his flaming sword and moves to try and help the wounded. As he reaches the cliffs, the woman looks up at him, her eyes full of worry. The wounded man looks to be in bad shape – one arm is broken, possibly crushed beyond repair and his breathing is short and wheezy.

Hearing the cries of the woman, Angus moves to where they are, gives them a nod, and immediately begins working on the fallen man. Mirko assumes he is with them and moves to allow him room to work.
Angus murmurs under his breath and touches the man’s chest, his hand glowing with a greenish light. The man’s breathing eases and he tries to say something, but he doesn’t wake up.
Mirko looks to check on Dreys and gives the dwarf a nod, and then turns back to the others, glancing in the direction of the fleeing giant, checking for a new wave of enemies to come.
Dreys looks around looking for something else to impale. "Run off ye bastard!” he yells at the fleeing giant. “Come back and fight me like a man...or do me means a pussy?" Dreys laughs and then turns to see Mirko. "Ye be alright me brother? Didn't take us long to find somebody to fight." He says, walking up to his long-time companion and resting his weight on the heavy mace in his hands.

Mirko nods again and says in greeting, “I am Mirko Blue Bear. This is my brother, Dreys Stoneshaft. Are there any others in your group?”

(Tag Angus)

The other man who helped Mirko attack the giants walks up and says, “Greetings and well met – the gods are good to have sent you when they did, else I fear, we would be walking with them in their hallowed halls. I am Reamus Silmerhelve and this is my sister and my uncle.”
Reamus is young, definitely younger than his sister, and his uncle is a middle-aged man with the beginnings of grey hair and a sagging belly.
“We need to get him back to the manor,” the woman says. “Caramin may be able to save his arm, since this…man has already saved his life.”
She smiles at the other newcomer (Angus) and looks at Mirko and Dreys and says, “I am Jacelyn Silmerhelve, but my family and friends call me Jace. Will you help us get my uncle back home? My father will want to meet the men who saved his family today.”
Mirko nods and says, “Aye, and the sooner the better. The dog might return with his pack.”

The other man who helped Mirko attack the giants walks up and says, “Greetings and well met – the gods are good to have sent you when they did, else I fear, we would be walking with them in their hallowed halls. I am Reamus Silmerhelve and this is my sister and my uncle.”Reamus is young, definitely younger than his sister, and his uncle is a middle-aged man with the beginnings of grey hair and a sagging belly. “We need to get him back to the manor,” the woman says. “Caramin may be able to save his arm, since this…man has already saved his life.”She smiles at the other newcomer (Angus) and looks at Mirko and Dreys and says, “I am Jacelyn Silmerhelve, but my family and friends call me Jace. Will you help us get my uncle back home? My father will want to meet the men who saved his family today.”Mirko nods and says, “Aye, and the sooner the better. The dog might return with his pack.”

“Greeting, my name is Angus and I am traveling alone. I found tracks of the giants and have been following them and they led me here. Looks like I arrived about the same time that you all did.” He smiles back at Jace and says, “Yes Jace, I will be glad to help you get your uncle back home.”

Dreys looks at Mirko, "Looks like we be helping out. Think me could use an ale about now." Dreys grins and chuckles. He then turns to Angus, "Nice to meet ye me fellow traveler. Where ye be from?" Dreys also will nod at Mirko's greetings to Jace. He offers to carry the wounded man, and soon, the group leaves the battle scene and the bodies of the five giants.

The going is slow, but the company is good and the young elven woman, Jacelyn, talks about the ruined picnic and asks, “What brings the three of you into the Kryptgarden Forest?”The younger elven man, Reamus, keeps staring at the three of you, especially at Mirko – it is obvious he is in awe of three adventurers, battle-scarred and bloody.(Tag anybody!)As you walk, Jacelyn turns the route south, skirting the edge of the forest, and soon you come to the grounds of a large estate. Riders on horseback spot you and sound a horn, then come riding toward you. Reamus waves at them and runs to meet them. All four riders are armed with spears in hand, longbows on their backs, and swords at their hips – they wear clothing and armor of olive and brown colors. All have dark hair and fair features.“Take Uncle Aamer to Caramin as quickly as you can ride!” Jacelyn instructs as Dreys and Angus gently lift the wounded man to one of the riders. “Reamus, go with him and tell father we are not far behind.” Reamus scowls, but obeys, leaping up on the back of another rider. “Go swiftly now!” Jacelyn urges, slapping the horse on its flank.“Yes, princess,” the rider responds, wheels his mount, and rides toward the estate manor, accompanied by the other rider and Reamus.

Another rider offers Jacelyn his hand, but she waves him away. “We will walk the rest of the way, Leonus, but guard our backs. There are giants in the woods today.”“Yes, princess,” the rider responds, drifting back to guard the rear.She sets off at a faster pace, no doubt eager to get to the estate. “My father will be most happy to see you and give you a proper welcome to Helvenblade House.”

The reception when you arrive at the manor of House Silmerhelve is nothing short of a heroes’ welcome. News of your arrival, and the events in the Kryptgarden Forest preceded you like a clarion call to arms, and the entire house meets you on the grounds of the manor. There is a great deal of exclamations of worry and concern, along with a lot of fussing over wounds and the state of affairs in the forest. More than a few of the folk of the manor cast wary glances at the distant woodlands. Faces come and go and many questions are asked about health and the events that happened. Jacelyn tries to stay close to you and explains that you rescued them from the giants. “We would have surely died had these brave adventurers come to our aid,” she tells a male elf dressed in clothing that befits one of importance. A female elf stands by his side, worry etched on her face as she looks back and forth between Jacelyn and you. You feel as about in place as a troll at a wedding – dirty and unwashed, bloody and unkempt – a barbarian, a dwarf, and a half-elf…at what appears to be a noble elven house!

But then…before what was sure to be a feast of welcome, before any immediate healing, before a bath and a change of clothes…a war horn sounds from the far fields near the woods. All chatter stops and all heads turn to look in the direction from whence you came just a few minutes earlier. Another horn blast, followed by a third only seconds apart, and the silence turns to panic. A call to arms goes out from an elven man who you would guess to be a captain of the guard. And then you see the riders…coming hard from the direction of the woods…and when in shouting range, you hear them say, “GIANTS! GIANTS FROM THE FOREST! TO ARMS! TO ARMS!”

Looking toward the edge of the forest, about a half mile distant, you see the unmistakable hulking shapes of giants…several giants emerging from the treeline. Other creatures, small dots at this distance, can also be seen running before them.Dreys shakes his head and looks to Mirko. “Guess dat hot meal with haf ta wait, me friend.”